Forgotten Love: Mr. President, Mrs. Fordham Has Rejected You!-Chapter 212: I’ve Been Scheming for You All Along
Stella saw him, and her pupils suddenly shrank.
Her instinctive reaction was to close the door.
"Bang!"
But the door was held firmly open by a large hand at the last moment before closing.
The hand had well-defined knuckles and slightly protruding veins, exuding an irresistible force.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Stella felt deflated, as if all her strength had been drained.
She gave up, turned around and left, not even bothering to give him another glance.
She walked to the window, her back to the door, like a cold statue.
"Click."
A soft sound of the door closing came from behind.
Footsteps approached, followed by a warm chest pressing against her back, strong arms gently encircling her from behind.
His chin rested in the crook of her shoulder, and his breath, tainted with alcohol, blew against her neck.
"Stella, I was wrong."
His voice was low, with a hint of hoarse pleading.
"I shouldn’t have said those things to you today, please don’t be angry, okay?"
Stella’s hand covered the back of his hand, finger by finger, she forcefully pried his fingers open.
She turned around and looked straight into his deep eyes, telling him very seriously.
"Aiden, this is not a joke."
"I can’t joke like that."
Her eyes instantly reddened, filled with mist, her voice starting to tremble.
"The first child, I couldn’t protect him, that’s a regret for life."
"I don’t want to go through that again..."
Her words trailed off, her voice already choked.
Aiden watched her eyes redden, feeling as though something fiercely pinched at his heart, turning it soft in an instant.
He remembered what Keegan had told him that evening.
To find out if this child is really his, it’s indeed very simple—draw 10ML of blood for a non-invasive paternity test.
But, what if?
What if he really mistook her, and her emotional swings affect the fetus’s development, or even... cause deformities?
Deformities!
Aiden’s heart suddenly tightened, like it was gripped by an invisible hand.
At that time, he put down his wine glass, disregarded everything, just wanted to come back and comfort her immediately.
He decided.
Once he returns to Meritopia, he’ll secretly do another paternity test.
Now, nothing is more important than her and the child in her belly.
"Don’t cry."
His voice was full of heartache.
"You can’t have too big emotional fluctuations right now."
He pulled her to the bed and seated her down, drawing her entire being into his embrace, holding her tightly.
"I’m such a bastard, what I said was all drunk talk, don’t take it to heart."
Stella buried her head in his arms, shaking her head quietly.
She didn’t believe it.
That was definitely not drunk talk from him.
She lifted her head, her reddened eyes filled with stubbornness.
"Aiden, tell me, the real reason."
"Why don’t you want this child?"
His thin lips pressed tightly, the honest-to-cruel reason, he simply couldn’t say it.
Silence.
The air turned suffocating.
After a long time, he found a reason that even he almost believed.
"At that time... I was still poisoned."
His voice was strained.
"I’m afraid the child isn’t healthy, I fear..."
This reason, Stella believed.
Or rather, she too had been afraid of this.
She had certainly considered the issue, not knowing whether that virus would affect the fetus.
Moreover, she herself inherently had genetic defects, what if... it was inherited by him?
Thinking about it, her heart turned desolate.
Tears like snapped pearls uncontrollably rolled down her face.
She opened her mouth slowly, her voice so broken it was unrecognizable.
"Aiden, give him a chance, okay?"
"Let him stay a while longer in my belly."
"Wait until 22 weeks... If the deformity check truly has issues..."
She took a deep breath, using every bit of strength to say the final words.
"I’ll... give him up."
"Okay." Aiden immediately agreed.
"I’ll listen to you, back in Meritopia, I’ll accompany you for the prenatal checkups, closely monitoring his health."
He reached out and used his fingertips to wipe away the tears on her face.
But he couldn’t wipe them clean.
"Don’t cry anymore, hmm?"
Watching her tears fall down endlessly, his heart also ached along with them.
He lowered his head, his thin lips gently kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes, his actions as tender as if water could drip from them.
In the end, she was indeed comforted by him.
He went downstairs to pour her some water, fed her until she finished drinking, and then started coaxing her to sleep.
He held her as they lay down. She curled herself up in his embrace like a frightened little kitten.
Long eyelashes wet, still marked with crystal tear stains.
His large hand gently patted her back, using the most primitive method to comfort her.
The breathing of the person in his arms gradually became even, but he himself was left without the slightest sleepiness.
The next day, the group returned to Meritopia as planned.
Selene Sloan stood at the doorway, her eyes wet and red, tightly holding Stella’s petite hand.
"Your clothes aren’t right, too thin."
"The food there is greasy, your stomach isn’t good, don’t eat randomly."
"During pregnancy special attention is needed..."
She chattered for almost ten minutes, still reluctant to let the person get in the car.
Stella did not lose patience, her voice gentle.
"I’ll take care of myself well, and the baby. In one and a half months, it’ll be New Year, I’ll come back to see you then."
"Good, good." Selene Sloan nodded in a panicked manner, but her hand still didn’t release its grip.
Finally reunited with her daughter, still basking in the warmth of these three days.
Selene Sloan directly embraced her, "Sierra, don’t blame me, I know I’m not a competent mother."
"I may not do as well as Mrs. Sterling, I’m still learning..."
Stella quickly replied, "You’re doing great, please take care."
Softly by her ear she called out, "Mom."
Selene Sloan’s body trembled violently, tears quickly cascaded down.
She called her, Mom.
She had waited eighteen long years for those two words.
Finally, Selene Sloan removed the cashmere scarf from her neck, wrapping it gently around her daughter’s neck, once, twice, carefully tying it.
Only after this was she willing to let go.
Hugh Whitman, carrying a luggage case, jumped into the car at the last moment.
Selene Sloan was stunned, "Where are you going?"
Hugh answered swiftly and firmly.
"In your place, I’m going to Meritopia to take care of my sister."
He lowered his sunglasses and added another sentence.
"During New Year, I’ll personally escort her back to you unharmed."
Selene Sloan froze in place, unable to utter a single rebuttal.
Three luxurious cars slowly drove out of the estate, ultimately taking Aiden’s private jet straight to Meritopia.
They arrived at dusk.
The group first returned to the Sterling Family villa, planning to have dinner before heading their separate ways.
Mrs. Sterling, upon hearing about Vivi’s near accident and Hugh Whitman’s personal rescue, seemed less antagonistic towards this "unreliable" eldest son.
After all, he is Stella’s biological brother, and thus also Vivi’s brother, half a family member.
At the dining table, Mrs. Sterling busily cared for her two pregnant daughters.
Thinking about having three little grandchildren in six, seven months, her mood soared.
Mr. Sterling kept a stern eye on Hugh Whitman.
Every time he watched Hugh add food to Vivi’s plate, his glare intensified.
It seems...this eldest son can’t give up.
Still coveting her baby cabbage?
This evening, there was an extra face at the Sterling Family’s dining table.
Damian Hawthorne.
Even though it had only been a few days since he last saw Claire, it felt like he had endured a century.
That’s why he made up his mind to come and join the meal.
And insisted on sitting right next to Claire.
The atmosphere at the dining table was a bit subtle.
Damian Hawthorne considerately served Claire several times.
"Have more of this, it’s your favorite."
Claire remained expressionless, using her chopsticks to slowly push the food he served onto the side dish plate, piling it up into a small hill, not touching a single bite.
She didn’t even look at him.
Just sitting beside him made her feel unspeakably uncomfortable and annoyed, a feeling that made her breathing uneasy.
After dinner, Damian Hawthorne blocked her on the garden path.
The night was deep, and the garden lights were dim and yellow.
His tall figure enveloped her, his voice deliberately gentle.
"Claire, want some candy?"
He magically produced a piece of milk candy, shaking it in front of her.
Claire looked at him, raised her hand, and slowly signed.
[No thanks, I don’t want your candy anymore!]
[You should go back.]
She emphasized not wanting "your" candy, rather than not wanting candy at all.
Damian felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Instinctively, he wanted to reach out and pull her, wanting to embrace this prickly person tightly.
However, Claire seemed to anticipate his move, sidestepped, and dodged away.
"Claire, don’t avoid me."
His voice immediately turned hoarse, carrying a hint of plea that even he didn’t notice.
"Claire, I truly like you."
"I won’t push you away anymore, whether you can speak or not, I will continue to like you."
Claire was taken aback for a moment.
Then she suddenly smiled, a faint and cold smile.
She raised her hand, her movements clear, signing clearly.
[Whether I can speak or not, I won’t like you anymore!]
Feelings like this come without reason and leave just as quickly.
After saying it, she turned and left without a trace of reluctance.
Damian stood frozen in place, watching helplessly as her figure disappeared around the corner.
At this moment, he felt more upset than if he had messed up a ten-billion-dollar project.
...
The next day, Aiden Fordham personally accompanied Stella Grant to Central Hospital for a check-up.
When the cold probe covered her abdomen, a strong and powerful heartbeat came from the instrument.
Thump. Thump. Thump...
The sound, through the cold machine, heavily pounded on Aiden Fordham’s heart.
His tall body leaned slightly forward, eyes locked tightly on the screen.
In this moment, he was deeply moved, feeling a surge of new life.
He kept convincing himself to believe, that this inside was his child.
Stella watched the fuzzy little black dot on the screen, her eyes instantly heated, tears uncontrollably sliding down.
Later, she had several tubes of blood drawn by a nurse and sent for testing.
Only then did Aiden Fordham carefully bring her back to The Sovereign Estate.
Once back at The Sovereign Estate, three nutritionists, a doctor, and a childrearing expert were already lined up waiting.
The villa’s servants, having heard that the lady was pregnant, beamed with joy, working briskly, not daring to slack off.
Stella Grant enjoyed a queen-like day today.
Six nutritious meals a day, each different.
Looking at the bowl of blood tonic soup in front of her, she was somewhat troubled.
"Don’t want to eat?"
Aiden Fordham sat down beside her with the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, and offered it to her mouth.
Stella Grant shook her head, "Not hungry."
His low voice was irresistibly gentle.
"Be good, just a couple more sips."
"You haven’t eaten enough, the doctor said the baby is a bit small, you need to quickly address your anemia."
He paused, teasing her on purpose.
"You wouldn’t want to have a frail little monkey in the future, would you? I won’t want that."
"You’re the one who’d have a little monkey." Stella was amused by him, a beautiful blush appearing on her cheeks, obediently opening her mouth.
The soup wasn’t unpleasant, with a light sweetness, but her heart was sweeter.
When did The Great President Fordham become such a husband-wife slave?
After lunch, Aiden Fordham took her hand as they walked in the garden for digestion.
The warm winter sun dispelled all the chill, much more comfortable than the cold air of The Imperial Capital.
"Aiden Fordham."
She looked up at the man beside her, his tall and upright figure outlined perfectly by sunlight.
"Do you want a son or a daughter?"
He tightened his grip on her hand, his palm warm.
His deep voice filled with a smile, "I like both, son or daughter."
"As long as they’re not ugly."
Stella Grant couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
She stood on tiptoe, leaning to his ear, "I estimate it’s a daughter, after all, we stayed in a princess room that night."
Upon hearing this, Aiden Fordham’s smile deepened at the corners of his mouth.
"A little sweet daughter sounds good."
He raised his hand, gently brushing away the windblown strands of her hair with his finger’s pad.
"If she looks like you, she’ll surely be very pretty."
His actions were so natural, so intimate.
Stella Grant’s heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly remembered something, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him,
"Aiden Fordham, you had the other big bed in the room moved, didn’t you?"
She had discovered later that the hotel displayed a family room, not a princess room.
He didn’t hide it, curling his lips, his eyes filled with uncontainable possessiveness.
"That’s right."
"I’ve been planning this for a long time with you in mind."
As soon as he said this, his large hand wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her fully into his arms.
"Stella."
"Hmm."
"Don’t call me by my full name in the future, three words are too distant, call me by two."
Stella Grant was momentarily taken aback, "Okay, President Fordham."
His big hand reached over, ready to tickle her, "What do you call me? Say it again."
"President Fordham, haha." She dodged his advances.
He pulled her into his arms altogether, "If you keep being so uncooperative, I’ll have to punish you."
"Aiden?"
"Aiden Fordham!" Her voice was soft, very pleasant to the ears. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Hmm, I’ll give you one more chance, try something else." He gently bit her ear, his warm breath spreading over her earlobe.
"Husband." She called out boldly, not shy at all, as long as she wanted to say it.
Aiden Fordham’s heart trembled, his scorching lips precisely covering hers.
Stella Grant’s small hands wrapped around his strong neck, standing on tiptoe, passionately responding to him.
In the fragrant air, love flows freely, it’s so sweet it almost melts away.
The kiss grew deeper and hotter.
In no time, Aiden Fordham’s breath was completely disordered.
The emotion in his eyes was too intense to dissolve, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
The next second.
Stella Grant felt her body lighten, her whole being scooped up tightly.
Aiden Fordham held her, striding towards the main house.
"The doctor... the doctor said we can’t."
She reminded him softly, her voice sweet and sticky, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremble.
After speaking, her cheeks "boomed" with heat, turning red enough to drip blood.
Aiden Fordham didn’t stop his steps, his chest bursting with a low, hearty laugh.
He lowered his head, his hot breath spraying over her earlobe, his voice hoarse and sexy, filled with fatal temptation.
"There are other ways."
"Husband will teach you."
...
